The present invention relates to wireless event notification and, more particularly, to a wireless event notification system that selectively notifies members of a wireless event notification system of events based on their location and/or interests, and devices and methods for use therein.
In recent years, many schools and corporations have established wireless event notification systems. Administrators of these systems broadcast event notifications, such as emergency alerts, to wireless communication devices carried by members of the system, such as students or employees. These wireless communication devices may include mobile phones, laptop computers or personal data assistants (PDA), for example.
Known wireless event notification systems have certain shortcomings. First, in order to take advantage of some systems the student or employee must volunteer to buy a wireless communication device of the type supported by the system. A student or employee may be hesitant to incur the cost and expense to acquire a device of the type supported by the system. Second, the student or employee often must proactively register with the system. Many students or employees will forget, or not take the time, to register. Third, such systems are typically over-inclusive when transmitting event notifications. Many students or employees who, due to their present location or particular interests, are not affected by an event still receive a notification. The receipt of superfluous notifications can be a nuisance and lead students or employees to inadvertently disregard notifications of other events that do affect them.